The New ‘John Wick’ Documentary Reveals That the Franchise Was Nearly Ruined by a Pesky Studio Note

In Wick Is Pain, Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves unpack the evolution of John Wick from an independent film that nearly crashed and burned to the genre-defining epic the series is today. As much an ode to creativity and action as it is a behind-the-scenes documentary, the film digs into the practical pitfalls of filmmaking. This includes the challenges that develop between directors, producers, and studios. Where Stahelski and the co-director of the first film, David Leitch, wanted movement and texture inspired by anime, and a deeply human grief to ground the film, producers needed a film that fit their limited budget and stood a chance of making that money back.